San Antonio is a wonderful place to live.
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12/27/2011
I grew up in San Antonio and in my opinion, it is the best place in Texas to live. It is almost exactly in the center of the state, and just a few hours' drive to Austin, Houston, or the beach, and just a few hours more to Dallas. Not that you will need those cities-San Antonio has anything you'd expect to find in a big city. The best thing about the city, though, is that it has all the amenities of a big city but still has the feel of a smaller town. I have lived in three other Texas cities, and none of them begin to compare. Houston is big, but it has all the problems of a big city, in a big way. It also smells bad, literally, and is almost uninhabitable in the summer (summer humidity and heat combine for a deadly mix. If you think I am exaggerating, consider that the city built a network of tunnels under its downtown office buildings, for pedestrian traffic in the summer. Nobody wants to go outside). I only lived in Houston for a summer, but that was more than enough for me. I also lived a summer in Corpus Christi, on the Texas Gulf Coast. Corpus is charming in many ways; my chief complaint is that it was just TOO small town. My time there was 15 years ago, and it has grown some, but I think that by comparison, it is just not as sophisticated as San Antonio. (I don't think the city had a bookstore when I lived there, something that may have changed since). There are plenty of outdoor activities, and cost of living is fairly low, so it is not at all a bad place to live. And, finally, I lived in Austin for two years while attending school. Many people moving to Texas seem to be under the impression that Austin is preferable to San Antonio, a view I most certainly do not share. The cost of living, particularly housing, is far higher in Austin, which alone was reason enough for me to not want to remain there. It is not as big as San Antonio, but IS admittedly more intellectual, with the University of Texas and several additional colleges influencing the culture. However, some people, such as myself, find Austin to be somewhat pretentious; there is a particularly liberal slant to the city's outlook. That in itself isn't so bad, but there is a pervasive pretentiousness about those who aren't liberal enough, or green enough, or active enough in whatever the cause de jour. It bothered me, and I am a fairly liberal, green person.
San Antonio, in comparison, is a very laid back place. Speaking only from personal experience, it's my belief that San Antonio is one of the most integrated places in Texas. I say this being an Anglo, and realize I cannot give the minority experience. However, my ex husband is Mexican, and my children resemble him; I have never faced any kind of friction over this in San Antonio (but have in Austin and Houston, even on short visits). San Antonio hosts the largest MLK day march in the nation, but it isn't a self-rightous kind of city (Austin, for example, probably WISHES it hosted the biggest march). Overall, it's more of a live and let live kind of city. I am very happy to be raising my family here.
Lori | San Antonio, TX